The tiny community of Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka‘i is widely known as the site of Hawai‘i’s former leprosy colony. The fidrst leprosy patients were shipped to Kalaupapa in early 1866; seven years later, in 1873, a Catholic missionary priest from Belgium by the name of Father Damien de Veuster arrived and served the island’s patients until his death from the disease in 1889.
Father Damien became Saint Damien Oct. 11, 2009, and Saint Marianne followed suit Oct. 21, 2012. They are the only two saints from Hawai‘i to be honored as such by the Catholic Church.
buildings and churches. A limited number of visitors are allowed each day to the settlement, but for the fidrst time, PACIFIC HISTORIC PARKS is offering scheduled daily air service from O‘ahu to Kalaupapa. For information tours, go to pacifichistoricparks.org/kalaupapa- national-historical-park.
